1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to protective covers for outdoor plants and more particularly pertains to plant shelter anchoring devices which may be adapted for securing a commercially available conical exterior-gusseted square-flanged protective plant shelter to the ground whereby the plant shelter is prevented from blowing off the plant during high winds.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of plant shelters is known in the prior art. More specifically, plant shelters heretofore devised and utilized for the purpose of protecting plants from hostile weather conditions are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
The present invention is directed to improving devices for securing a commercially available protective plant shelter to the ground whereby the plant shelter is prevented from blowing off the plant during high winds in a manner which is safe, secure, economical and aesthetically pleasing.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,571,972 to Carter discloses a protective ground collar for enveloping upright elements such as trees, posts and the like at ground level to inhibit the growth of vegetation, a collar is formed of flexible water resistant sheet material and a main opening is formed therein from which a main slit extends to the outer edge of the sheet material, the main slit being for the purpose of facilitating envelopment of a tree trunk and the like. A plurality of radial inner slits are formed in the sheet and extend outwardly from the central opening to define a plurality of flexible fingers which are disposed against the tree trunk or post to inhibit plant growth.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,932,958 to Kistler, Jr. et al. describes a plant shelter including a plurality of posts mounted upright from a supporting surface and arranged in longitudinally and transversely aligned rows to form a series of adjacent rectangles. A plurality of parallel and substantially uniformly spaced wires extend longitudinally of said posts and are connected to the upper ends of the longitudinally aligned posts, the opposite ends of said longitudinal wires being anchored at said supporting surface. A plurality of parallel and uniformly spaced transverse wires are connected between each pair of adjacent longitudinal wires at uniform intervals therealong, which intervals are only a fraction of the distance between the adjacent longitudinal wires, said transverse wires being substantially coplanar. A plurality of elongated spaced and parallel elements are connected by flexible means so that said elements can be stored in a roll which can be mounted upon and then unrolled along a pair of said transverse wires between a pair of longitudinal wires. By this means, the amount of light reaching said surface surrounded by rectangles can be controlled.
The prior art also discloses a soil cover for potted or in-ground plants as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,995,192 to DeWid which consists of a soil cover that when installed around the base of an existing plant or tree, forms a cone-like shape, truncated at the top to allow stem or trunk to pass through. Thus installed, the cover prevents over watering of the soil around the plant due to excessive rain and consequential loss of soil nutrients, loss of soil, root exposure. It gives the plant owner the capability to control the moisture conditions of a plant's soil.
A reusable temporary cover for indoor house plants to retain moisture for the plant is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,265,049 to Gorewitz. The cover is formed of flexible transparent plastic sheet material with tie means to completely enclose a house plant and includes a water retention portion to catch and store excess water. By enclosing the plants after watering, a terrarium effect is produced and moisture is retained within the cover for a long period of time.
Also relevant is U.S. Pat. No. 4,821,453 to Morehead which describes a plant protecting and growth enhancing device for use in providing an environment immediately surrounding a plant to protect the plant from atmospheric changes during its early life of growing. The plant protector is a rigid, conical, transparent device that is adapted to contain a fluid that may absorb thermal energy from an outside source and may release that absorbed thermal energy at another time. The device is adapted to be placed over a seedling plant as the plant is planted and is capable of protecting the plant from frost or other possible detrimental conditions until the plant has a chance to become established. The fluid within the device may be drained onto the plant when the device is no longer needed.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a plant shelter anchoring device for securing a commercially available plant shelter to the ground whereby the plant shelter is prevented from blowing off the plant during high winds.
In this respect, the plant shelter anchoring device according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of securing a commercially available conical exterior-gusseted square-flanged protective plant shelter to the ground whereby the plant shelter is prevented from blowing off the plant during high winds.
Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for new and improved plant shelter anchoring devices which can be used for securing a commercially available protective plant shelter to the ground whereby the plant shelter is prevented from blowing off the plant during high winds. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.
As illustrated by the background art, efforts are continuously being made in an attempt to develop devices for protecting plants from hostile weather conditions. No prior effort, however, provides the benefits attendant with the present invention. Additionally, the prior patents and commercial techniques do not suggest the present inventive combination of component elements arranged and configured as disclosed and claimed herein.
The present invention achieves its intended purposes, objects, and advantages through a new, useful and unobvious combination of method steps and component elements, with the use of a minimum number of functioning parts, at a reasonable cost to manufacture, and by employing only readily available materials.